TITLE:
Virological Profile of Patients Infected with HIV Starting Antiretroviral Treatment in Kinshasa
AUTHORS:
Erick Ntambwe Kamangu, Ben Ilunga Bulanda, Berry Ikolango Bongenia, Huguette Tshweka Botomwito, Georges Lelo Mvumbi, Patrick De Mol, Dolores Vaira, Marie-Pierre Hayette, Richard Lunganza Kalala
KEYWORDS:
Viral Load, CD4 T Cells, Patients Eligible for Treatment, ART
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.2 No.6,
June
8,
2015
ABSTRACT: Background: Viral Load (VL), CD4 T cells count and clinical signs are
significant parameters for the decision of
starting ARV Treatment (ART). The aim of this study is to determine the Viral
Load profile of eligible patients on
treatment in the centers according to the algorithm used in Kinshasa and
the DRC. Methodology: Our sample consisted of 153 HIV-positive patients naive
of ART. All patients aged over 18 years were included in the study without
gender discrimination. The determination of the VL was made at the laboratory
of Molecular Biology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Kinshasa
using a previously described technique. Results: Of the 153 patients included in the study, 92 (60.1%) were women. The age
of the patients was in the range 18 - 65 years with a mean of 37 years.
Most patients (91.5%) were clinical stage 3, while the rest (8.5%) were clinical
stage 4 for HIV infection. The rates of CD4 T lymphocytes were between 8 and
915 cells/mm3 with a median value of 180 cells/mm3.
Seventy nine patients (86.8%) had CD4 count below
500 cells/mm3. The median VL of patients is 5.68 log10 RNA
copies/ml. The minimum and maximum values are respectively 0.37 and 7.95
log10 RNA copies/ml. Conclusion: The majority of patients (63.4%) in Kinshasa begin antiretroviral
treatment with a poor prognosis. The Viral loads are usually very high
in these patients and CD4 quite collapsed. Indeed, the median value of CD4 for
the patients is 180 cells/mm3 for the population, while the mean
value of Viral Load is 5.48 log10 RNA copies/ml.